Can UMNO heed PAP's slips?

KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 — Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said today his party will learn from the Singapore People’s Action Party’s (PAP) performance in the island republics  polls during the weekend. ~ UMNO will heed PAP's slips, says sec-gen ~ themalaysianinsider.com

Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor must ensure that UMNO can do what is necessary to keep the faith of the people.

The results of the General Election in Singapore clearly show that the voters can longer be convinced by mere words, but that they expect the Government to truly represent the interests of the people. While the Singapore Government controlled by the PAP has done considerably well in running the economy and ensuring a sound investment climate for the country, the people still found reasons to shake things up a bit.

Can UMNO really learn from the PAP, and ensure that the people of Malaysia do not have too many reasons to swing to the other side?

In the questions that must be answered in Parliament, we had shown that the Malaysian Government has taken for granted the ability of the regulators to regulate themselves. This has allowed outsiders like PricewaterhouseCoopers Malaysia to exercise it's influence to such an extent in the operations of the regulators that investors, large and small, throughout the country, from Kangar to Kuching, are wondering if there is any chance at all that the Malaysian Government can put the trust back into the regulatory and corporate governance framework of the country.

Chin Kwai Fatt, the MD of PwC, exerts more influence on the regulators than they do on him

If the voters now add 'lack of faith' in the Governments Transformation Program, because it has become evident to them that at the end of the day, the corporate bigwigs like Chin Kwai Fatt and his fellows can get away with breaking any regulation or law that they please while still winning jobs from the Government, will they still come out in droves to vote for the BN come elections? Can UMNO afford to give any more ammunition to the opposition to shake the confidence of the people in their rule?

Now we have Datuk Seri Johan Raslan attending a summit in Istanbul, Turkey, while his firm gets away from answering the many questions they have been asked. To make matters worse, he has chosen to attend a summit that will be graced by the PM's wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor. Will this not make the voters feel that the Government does not take fraud seriously?

Datuk Seri Johan Raslan, attending a summit in Istanbul, as if everything is fine in PwC

Voters fall into many groups that have different areas of concern when it comes to making their choice. While some areas of concern can be addressed with statements from the government, there are some areas where only action can convince the voters that they are making the right choice.

We sincerely hope that UMNO does not take the question of investor protection lightly, and ensure that the regulators can no longer fail in their tasks in a manner which causes more capital to flee the country, and more voters to flee the BN.